Breaking the silence of racism injuries: a community-driven study
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
ISSN: 1747-9894
Article publication date: 31 October 2017
Issue publication date: 26 February 2018
Abstract
Purpose
Injuries resulting from racism are largely hidden by silence. Community services to provide healing from racism are missing in at least one Canadian city. The purpose of this paper is to identify the injuries suffered by immigrants who experienced racism and discuss the development of culturally appropriate programs and tools to address injuries from racism.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants representing visible minorities service providers from non-profit, public-funded organizations in a major Canadian city took part in two focus groups. Data from focus groups were thematically analyzed.
Findings
Racism produces traumatic and persistent psychological, social and intergenerational injuries. An ostensible gap exists in services, professional education and skills to address the psycho-social effects of this complex problem. The complicity of silence in both dominant and subordinated groups contributes to its perpetuation. A dearth of screening and assessment instruments is a barrier in identifying individuals whose mental health and addiction problems may have underlying racism-related etiology. Creation of community healing circles is recommended as a preferred method over individual “treatment” to expose and deconstruct racism, strengthen ethnic identity and intergenerational healing.
Research limitations/implications
These qualitative findings were generated based on the perspectives of a small purposive sample (n=8) of immigrant service providers and immigrants from one Canadian city. Many of these findings are consistent with the existing literature on internalized racism and racism injuries. Generalizability to the wider population of the province and of Canada requires further research.
Practical implications
Practitioners in health and social care as well as educators need to understand the injuries and internalized effects of racism to provide appropriate services and leadership. Development of anti-racism professional knowledge and skills, healing circles, and assessment instruments will contribute to deconstructing racism and mitigating its injuries.
Originality/value
Community-driven studies exploring racism and the lack of services to address the issue are scarce. This study pulls together the experience of service providers and their insights on ways to break the detrimental silence surrounding racism.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper is based on an Alberta Network of Immigrant Women project supported by a grant from the Alberta Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund. Bonnie Lee planned and facilitated the focus groups, analyzed and interpreted the data and prepared the project’s final report. She conceptualized this paper and was its lead author. Peter Kellett and Corina van den Berg contributed to the writing and critical revisions of this article. The authors gratefully acknowledge the research assistance of Anne Hampson, Michele Charest and the administrative assistance of Chido Mbavarira in the project.
Citation
Lee, B., Kellett, P., Seghal, K. and Van den Berg, C. (2018), "Breaking the silence of racism injuries: a community-driven study", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-01-2016-0003
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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